In 1785-90 John Carr built the Great Stables for The Crescent to house 100 horses. Later, in 1859, the Great Stables were converted into the Devonshire Royal Hospital, 'for the use of the sick poor'. The architect was the 6th Duke of Devonshire's architect, H. Currey. In 1881 Robert Rippon Duke designed one of the most notable architectural pieces of the town - a huge slate dome to cover the central courtyard. The dome weighs 560 tons and spans 145 feet. At the time it was the largest unsupported dome in the world, and to this day is still the largest of its kind in the country. The building closed as a hospital in 2001, and is now owned by the University of Derby.

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